The night before, he had left his house with the bills in his pocket and dreamed of paying off some of them by doing well in the race. Despite his first victory in American NASCAR races, he did not get the trophy, did not get to the podium, and was not asked to kiss the queen!
Wendell Oliver Scott was getting ready to leave his home for the race in Jacksonville, Florida...
But his head and pocket were full of bills due. Especially because of the past-due house installment. Because the bank sent him a notice, so...
He needed to find money and get out of this rut.
Before leaving, “What can I do?” he passed out...
“Maybe I can push my car to its limits and reach the finish carefully. If I can be in a position to earn $400 in the race, then maybe I can at least pay off some of my debts!”
Scott was born in Danville, Virginia. In the city, which was mostly filled with spinning mills and tobacco mills, Scott had distanced himself from these businesses. His father was a chauffeur for well-to-do families. Therefore, from a young age, he received information about automobile mechanics and repair from his father.
He did additional work!
Racing was his passion. He was biking against white kids in the neighborhood. When he graduated from high school, he first started as a taxi driver and then served as a mechanic in the army during World War II. He married in 1943 and had 7 children.
Returning after the war, Scott opened a repair shop for himself. However, he could not earn enough and had to do additional work. He also got into the "midnight drink delivery" business, which was popular because of the ban at the time, for additional income. Because drivers who drive fast and well were assigned to deliver whiskey with modified performance vehicles. He was caught by the police only once, in 1949, and was sentenced to 3 years of supervised imprisonment. However, he needed the money and continued this business.
He had trained for a few hours for the Jacksonville race and had his car back together with the new parts he could find. The "volunteer service team", consisting of two close friends, his brother and his son, had come to be with him, even though he did not know much about racing vehicles. Together they would make a road of up to 700 km. As a matter of fact, it was still not safe for a black person to travel alone in those years. It has been 8 days since President John F. Kennedy was killed, and 11 months ago, the Ku Klux Klan, which carried out executions against black Americans, murdered 4 black schoolgirls in the church in a bombing action.
Took a big risk
The journey, which they set out at midnight and also passed through the routes where the Ku Klux Klan organized protests, ended just before the qualifying tours. His friends had helped Scott get the car out of the trailer and had it pulled over.
The Speedway Park track in Jacksonville was pretty run down. That wasn't the owner's main job, and despite the money he earned, he hadn't had the track maintained. Scott would race on uneven ground. He started to feel bad from the first corners when he made it to qualifying. As a matter of fact, his vehicle was constantly making involuntary movements due to the uneven track surface and had road-holding problems. He had come here to be in the front row but would have been ranked 17th or 22nd. He decided to take a gamble and soften his car's suspension. For this, he removed one of the two shock absorbers on each wheel... After all, he was entitled to start in the front rows.
Scott started his first race at local circuits in Virginia in 1947. Scott, who later stepped into NASCAR, bought a Chevrolet from Buck Baker in 1961. However, due to a lack of money and support, he could not participate in the races continuously. He bought another car in 1963 and finished 15th.
On December 1, 1963, the race started. Scott found that his decision on the shock absorbers benefited him more than he thought. As a matter of fact, others were constantly skidding due to hard suspensions and potholes, and losing speed while trying to recover the vehicle. Scott was very comfortable despite the potholes.
Drive to victory
One by one, Wendell Scott's rivals had started to experience setbacks and were out of the race. In fact, the driver in the first position collided with another vehicle and was out of the race. Buck Baker, in the second position, had to enter the service area several times due to overheating problems. Scott was in good spirits.
25 laps later, Richard Petty was placed in first place, while he himself was promoted to second place. He was constantly catching up with the first. Meanwhile, Petty was starting to slow down because he was having problems with the steering. And eventually, Scott was promoted to first place. During the race, Scott was constantly paying attention to who came first as he drove past the scoreboard, but when he took the lead, he suddenly realized that the board was blacked out. However, he did not care about this situation and continued. As he entered the final lap, he sensed something strange. As a matter of fact, the officer who was supposed to wave the flag was watching his passing but did not move. He made another lap, and the situation still did not change. When he made the final lap, the checkered flag waved… It was for Buck Baker, not himself. Scott is second. Smith was in third place.
Wendell Scott couldn't make sense of it. Because he had done 202 laps. The first announced Baker is 200 laps. So he was sure that he was the first. Baker picked up his trophy and, as is tradition, took the podium, kissed the pageant's beauty queen, and then headed home. Wendell was insane. He objected. Scores were held in hand, pen, and paper, so it was open to abuse. He asked to be looked at again. The race stewards confirmed Wendell's first place a few hours after the awards ceremony but did not award him the trophy. Wendell said, “At least you didn't give the trophy, then give me the damn $1,000 check!” yelled. The check has been issued...
Scott's trophy was given to his family in recent years in his memory, years after his death. Authorities had declared Baker, thinking that black Wendell's kissing of the white beauty queen would cause an uproar among the audience and the public... Wendell lived to be 100 years old and did not win another title despite entering hundreds of races. His son and grandson did not break away from this sport, but they were not successful either. The foundation, which is now established in the name of Wendell Scott, works to educate disadvantaged children and make them professional.
By the way, 7 more black drivers took part in NASCAR after him so far. Last year, Bubba Wallace became the second black driver to win the title. And one last reminder: watch out for River Scott number "34" in the third installment of "The Cars." He is actually none other than Wendell Scott!